mini orange scones

When you have homemade curd, you must make scones.

With all the snowstorms on the east coast, the tangelo curd my friends sent me in my surprise Valentine package was sent a little later than expected and was a wee bit runny, so I decided to use it as a glaze--although really, the curd was so good I could have eaten it with a spoon. (Have you ever made curd yourself? I never have, but now I'm sorely tempted to try!)

I made some mini orange scones for them and drizzled the sunny orangey-yellow curd over each one. Each bite was meltingly tart and sweet at the same time, and the light, airy scones were just the right subtle base for them. On their own, the scones are quite good too, although I might add more orange zest to the batter if they're unglazed.

Because nothing has to be prepped ahead of time or brought to room temperature, this is a good quickie recipe whenever you want just a bit of a sweet with your afternoon tea. (They're best consumed on the same day that they're made.) Now if only there were clotted cream in the house, too...

Ingredients:

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

4 teaspoons baking powder

1 tablespoon sugar

zest of one large orange

5 tablespoons cold butter, cut into pieces and returned to fridge

3 eggs

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup fresh orange juice

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.

Add flour, salt, baking powder, sugar, and zest to a food processor, pulsing a few times to combine. Add the butter and pulse until it becomes the size of peas and looks crumbly.

Beat 2 eggs, cream, and juice together, then add the mixture gradually into the dry ingredients, pulsing gradually until the dough begins to come together and form a ball.

Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead a few times, but don’t overwork the dough. Shape the dough into a 3/4-inch-thick layer and use a glass or 1 inch round biscuit cutter to cut out scones. Reshape any leftover dough into another layer and cut out the remainder.

Beat the remaining egg together with a little bit of water, and brush each scone with the mixture.

Bake 10 minutes, or until a light golden brown. Allow to cool on the sheet for 5 minutes, then if you wish, drizzle them with curd or an orange glaze. (Please note: the second photo shows unglazed scones, with the curd in a little container beside them.)

Serve immediately. Makes approximately 24 mini scones.